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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25782154">Oubliette</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Repeatinglitanies/pseuds/Repeatinglitanies'>Repeatinglitanies</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Umbrella Academy (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Don’t copy to another site, F/M, Five is still in his young body, Mention of Sissy and Harlan, Spoilers for Season 2, bed sharing, speculation for season 3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 07:55:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,636</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25782154</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Repeatinglitanies/pseuds/Repeatinglitanies</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Being locked in a room to be forgotten and being without powers was nothing new to Vanya. But for Five, it was like treading in unfamiliar waters.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Number Five | The Boy &amp; Vanya Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy/Vanya Hargreeves</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>265</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Oubliette</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my speculation of what happens after the end of season 2. And while there is nothing sexual happens, Five is still in his 13-14 year old body here. So some of you might be uncomfortable with this FIVEYA fic.</p><p>So please be warned.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Many years after her first French lessons, exactly at about the time Vanya was writing her book, it had struck her as ironic that the very first word she had learned of Claude Debussy’s native tongue was <i>oublier</i>, which meant <i>to forget</i>.</p><p>Knowing what Vanya knew now, she supposed that it might have been her subconscious telling her something. That she had forgotten an essential part of herself through Allison’s rumour and Dad’s machinations. Or perhaps her subconscious had recognised an omen, one that foretold a future in which Vanya would forget everything that had made her who she was entirely as fulfilled by her month and a half stay in Dallas on the year 1963.</p><p>Had Dad heard her thoughts, he would tell her to make better use of her free time. Because certainly, having too much time in her hands only contributed to silly, idle musings.</p><p>Only thing was, Dad wasn’t dad anymore. </p><p>No, he didn’t lose any of the physical attributes and behavioural temperament that made him who he was. </p><p>Reginald Hargreeves also didn’t lose his memories. Not like Vanya did. In fact, Vanya found it hard to believe Sir Reginald Hargreeves, billionaire philanthropist, genius inventor and Olympic gold medalist would ever forget anything in his life.</p><p>In fact, in the nearly sixty years since the light supper back in 1963 to the day after what would have been her 2019 apocalypse (which weirdly sounded like a debutante’s ball), Reginald Hargreeves had not forgotten about Vanya and her siblings. </p><p>She wasn’t particularly surprised that he didn’t remember them fondly. That much was clear when they landed back to the house that was once, but now never was, their home.</p><p>He had been expecting them, Vanya and the siblings that she still had left. And like Dr Frankenstein with his Creature, he had rejected them. Unlike Frankenstein, Reginald Hargreeves did so by never adopting them in the first place. It was as if he saw them as they were back in 1963, the products of his training and tutelage, and branded them as failures. But instead of his methods, he found fault in the materials he was forced to work with. In other words, Vanya and her siblings.</p><p>As usual, he was never in the wrong. He could never be in the wrong.  </p><p>So he fashioned himself another Academy. One with a different name and different members save for Ben, who Reginald never had the chance to meet in Dallas. However, despite the differences, Vanya didn’t need eyes to see that the Sparrow Academy wasn’t any better or any worse than the Umbrella Academy.</p><p>True, the Sparrows had more years to hone their teamwork. It had the unquestioned leadership of Reginald Hargreeves. And as Vanya later found out, it had a lot of practice in dealing with people like the members of the Umbrella Academy, in other words, the miraculous children born on the 1st of October 1989.</p><p>Vanya may have had limitless power at her disposal, but she lacked the technique to wield it as effectively as her siblings and the Sparrows did theirs. </p><p>In what seemed like a blink of an eye, all six remaining members of the Umbrella Academy were unwittingly herded into a corner.</p><p>And in less than a second, they found themselves in Reginald’s version of an oubliette.</p><p>Vanya had heard of the word being translated as a <i>forgotten room</i>. But to her, it seemed more accurate to describe it as a room for the forgotten. A space to place people in until everyone in the outside world no longer remembered they even existed.</p><p>It was horrifying enough to know that they were not anywhere near Hargreeves manor. A quick peek out the window displaying a barren vista unlike anything she had ever seen on earth and a sky with unfamiliar constellations told Vanya all she needed to know. That she and her family might not even be on the same planet as Hargreeves manor, or the same plane of reality, for that matter.</p><p>If that wasn’t enough, their arrival was quickly noticed by the local inhabitants, who turned out to be nothing more than faceless humanoid figures dressed as bellboys. No doubt another of Reginald Hargreeves many inventions. </p><p>Disconcertingly, these creatures greeted them like the servants of 18th to 19th century English aristocracy, with each figure lined up from the lobby entrance (where Vanya and her siblings found themselves metaphorically frozen in place) to the reception counter that emblazoned the name of their current location.</p><p>
  <i>The Hotel Oblivion</i>
</p><p>It took Vanya time to understand that its trappings of luxury were nothing more than mere decoration to obscure what it truly was. A prison for people like Vanya and her siblings. One that came with a waiting staff that doubled as prison guards, ones that lacked the greed to make them susceptible to bribes, the ennui that made ordinary men descend into complacency or the sense of self that would have made them go against Reginald Hargreeves’ unbending rules and regulations.</p><p>Five, ever the analytical quick thinker, had figured all of this out in a matter of seconds. Some time later, Vanya would marvel at the type of life Five had led in the Commission to take all of this within a split second of observation and come up with a counterattack. So looking back, it shouldn’t have been a surprise when he decided to turn to a tried and true method: violence.</p><p>But much to his chagrin, his planned course of action was thwarted by one startling realisation. He couldn’t use his powers.</p><p>For that matter, neither could Vanya and the rest of their siblings.</p><p>_______________________________</p><p> </p><p>
  <i>Thump.Thump.Crash!</i>
</p><p>Vanya awoke to the sound of Five vandalising their shared room. </p><p>Their first-hand introduction to Hotel Oblivion and its <i>staff</i> had been a disaster, at least on the part of all remaining members of the Umbrella Academy. It certainly didn’t take the hotel staff long to herd them into three separate rooms and lock them in. </p><p>While the humanoid bellboys’ strength wasn’t anywhere near Luther’s at the height of his abilities, it was certainly more than that of any normal man, which was pretty much equal to their current strength at present. </p><p>With all of their powers neutralized, they had to rely on weapons and hand to hand combat. Which meant that they were already outmatched against creatures that could easily absorb any hits and simply just shrug off any projectiles thrown their way. </p><p>And as far as relying on alternative means in lieu of their inaccessible powers, Diego and Five were the only ones that actually carried weapons. And while everyone else had been trained for combat at a young age, Reginald made sure to exclude Vanya, resulting in her nearly nil knowledge of physical defence and offense.</p><p>At that point, Vanya was a liability and everyone knew it. But everyone, even Klaus who would rather have ran, did their best to shield her, even as they faced opponents that never tired or betrayed any evidence of getting hurt. </p><p>So all the hotel staff really needed to do was wait them out. And in no time at all, one of them had managed to bodily lift Five, literally kicking and screaming and entirely resembling the adolescent teen he had been on that fateful day he determined to time travel without Reginald’s blessing, by the collar and deposited him in one of the rooms. </p><p>As Vanya was the sibling nearest to Five, she got locked in with him, but not before witnessing Allison and Luther placed in the room to their left while Klaus and Diego (who was trying to hold on to his bite of a faceless bellboy’s ear) had been shoved in the room to their right.</p><p>Needless to say, Five did not take well to suddenly being divested of his powers. </p><p>At first, he was calm, going back to what years of training (courtesy of Dad and the Commission) taught him. Five assessed his current situation and observed his environment to figure out weaknesses he could exploit to get him, Vanya and the rest of their siblings out of there.</p><p>His powers of deduction already had him concluding that their sudden loss of powers wasn’t from anything Da- Reginald Hargreeves had invented. Else, the old man would have used it on Vanya instead of relying on Allison’s rumour and Vanya’s regular intake of mood-suppressing medication.</p><p>No. It was another one of <i>them</i>. A sparrow. Or at least someone who shared their exact time of birth.</p><p>With that settled, Five quickly devised various methods to draw the sparrow out. Even in a place that encouraged being stationary, Five was always on the move constantly pacing around their spacious accommodations instead of sitting or lying down. </p><p>To Vanya, that was a good thing. He didn’t allow her much time to wallow in guilt at again being the load, the useless one in the family.</p><p>Without her powers, she wasn’t much help in open conflict. Most likely, she would be forced to simply stand and watch as her siblings protected her. Or hide in some corner while she waited for them to come get her. </p><p>Maybe if her roommate had been anyone other than Five at that point in time, she would have given into the luxury of feeling sorry for herself.</p><p>And as it turned out, Hotel Oblivion provided much comfort and luxury, which meant that under any other circumstances, she would have stayed in bed and agonized over things she could have done until she found herself in an early grave. Everything from delicious food to comfortable clothes and amenities were provided to them. There was no immediate danger to focus her energies on. Nothing productive to distract herself from her thoughts.</p><p>The room she shared with Five was spacious enough to contain two queen-sized beds covered in silk sheets, an on suite bathroom that had both a bathtub and a shower and then, there was the dining area by the window that would have been perfect if it were not for the entirely uninspiring view of the barren world outside. </p><p>Any other person might have seen it as a vacation or a place to die, if one forgot the stark reality of Reginald Hargreeves placing them there just so that he can safely put them out of his mind. But Vanya grew up in Hargreeves manor. She’d like to think that she now knew better to see through Reginald’s intentions. She had lived such a life before. And she would no longer let herself or her siblings be ignored or forgotten.</p><p>Despite her tiny room, life at Hargreeves manor had been cozy and comfortable enough, physically. And she had been provided with every basic necessities to enable her to survive. Hotel Oblivion was simply a fancier version of Vanya’s childhood home, which made it far too easy for her to fall back on old habits and yet again allow her own self-worth to dwindle into nothing.</p><p>The only thing keeping her from really breaking down was her own resolve and, of course, Five. </p><p>At first, it was because Five was always the one with the plan. Breaking down his strategies into small sized tasked that even Vanya could accomplish in her sleep. He kept her busy helping him, which took her mind off her general sense of impotency. </p><p>But later, when all his plans had fallen through, Vanya managed to keep calm and collected for an entirely different reason. </p><p>If Five in an apocalypse-driven crisis mode was an asshole, he became (even more) downright insufferable without both his life’s mission and his powers. Surprisingly, as it turned out, Hotel Oblivion got to Five first. And Vanya had found herself unable to afford the luxury of a breakdown when her brother had started one without her.</p><p>_______________________________</p><p>The staff didn’t lock them in all the time. For a few hours each day, they were free to walk around the hotel and exercise. Their walk-around never coincided with Allison and Luther’s or Klaus and Diego’s. For obvious reasons, the staff wanted the six of them separated, even if it was just by walls, time and distance.</p><p>They saw other “guests” but the staff never let them talk or communicate. Always keeping them lengths apart from those who could have been brothers-in-arms.</p><p>During the first few days of their stay, Five didn’t particularly mind. He had never been one to trust anyone outside their family, probably considered the outsiders to be dead-weights. So he didn’t bother with them. His immediate concern was finding that sparrow and beating him or her or they into submission until their powers were restored to them.</p><p>But after a week of lurking and stalking, spying and stealing, both with and without Vanya, Five eventually had to rethink his plan. They might have managed to gain a better idea of the hotel’s layout, and explore every nook and cranny. But still, there was no sign of Sparrow X, as Five referred to the mysterious being that cut off their access to their powers.</p><p>So Five scrapped his first plan and decided to try to outlast the Sparrow X instead. Whoever the sparrow is would still need to sleep, to recharge in some way. Five had told her this one night as the light of the lamp glowed on the side table that separated his bed and hers. </p><p>The very next night, Five didn’t get wink of sleep, staying as far away from his bed as possible. Vanya intended to keep him company, playing chess with him the whole night on the dining table that had just recently been cleared of the night’s meal. </p><p>Five didn’t protest.</p><p>But he didn’t bother waking her up either when she decided to close her eyes for what should have been a few seconds, only to wake up the very next morning on her bed, wrapped up in blankets.</p><p>Five ended up going without sleep for another two days straight, all while continually consuming sugar and attempting to access his powers.</p><p>After another day of no sleep and nothing to show for it, Five seemed to have given up on his plan to outlast the sparrow. Not that Five explicitly told her that in so many words. Vanya knew because by the third day, Five started vandalising his side of the room. Even the liquor bottles weren’t spared his wrath.</p><p>Which seriously began to worry Vanya. This was Five, after all. If there’s anything he’d save for the rainiest of days, it would be alcohol. Vanya wasn’t particularly surprised that the hotel staff didn’t let them out that day or the day after.</p><p>From the time they were children, Vanya had learned that it was best to let Five release his frustrations (whether through words or violence) before she tried to talk some sense into him. He had that tendency of being contrary when he was at the height of pique and frustration.</p><p>But on the fifth day of Five’s sleep strike (it seemed that he had not given up on outlasting the sparrow after all), Vanya woke to find Five painting the wall with his blood. Not that he was doing actual painting with a brush. More like he was punching the wall even after coating a portion of it with blood and subjecting it to a full blown tantrum. </p><p>Vanya could hear a faint pounding on the other side of that wall, the only sound that managed to make its way through from the other rooms. From the beat and force of the pounding she’d say it was Diego, who in his own way was telling Five to shut the hell up as people were trying to sleep.</p><p>Vanya couldn’t take it anymore.</p><p>“Five! Five!”</p><p>Her call for attention fell on deaf ears. Five was in a world of his own. And Vanya had to wonder if this was Five’s version of sleepwalking, which would be more accurately described as beating something or someone to death in his sleep than moving out of bed while asleep.</p><p>Should she still let him tire himself out like she originally planned? If she could use her powers, she would have used it to stop him from hurting himself. But all that Five had left was Vanya herself, a Vanya who wouldn't be able to help him if someone came in, knife in hand with every intention to kill them.</p><p>For a moment, Vanya was paralysed with indecision. It felt as if every option and every possible choice left to her was the wrong one. And with Five acting so unlike himself, she didn’t know what she could do to make things better. What happened to the Vanya who vanquished an army of Commission operatives in a blink of an eye? Did she disappear along with her powers? </p><p>Stop. This wasn’t doing anyone any good. At the moment, Five was his own worst enemy. What was up with him? He’d had plans going wrong so many times before. But pragmatic Number Five would never injure himself. After all, what would he gain by doing that?</p><p>Five was acting as if nothing mattered anymore. Desperate. Scared. </p><p>
  <i>Oh.</i>
</p><p>And in that instant Vanya knew.</p><p>As soon as they had come back to find that the apocalypse had been successfully averted and in fact never happened in 2019, Reginald Hargreeves and the Sparrow Academy sent them to Hotel Oblivion and basically stripped them of their powers.</p><p>To Vanya, it was certainly a big blow. But nothing new. Being without abilities that made her extraordinary and being forgotten had been the default setting of the majority of her life. Her powers were a weapon to her. Something that she was still in the process of learning how to wield safely and effectively. She knew it was a part of her. But she still hadn’t fully gotten used to that reality. The only reason its loss affected her was because of how useful it could have been to her family’s current predicament.</p><p>But to Five, who had spent what should have been the better part of his life in the service of preventing the apocalypse and whose only companions were a mannequin and his powers, he was treading very unfamiliar waters. Being without his spatial jumps was akin to losing a limb. Five might have been looking forward to what life was like after preventing the end of the world. But he had always been sure that his powers would be there with him.</p><p>So Dad had essentially stripped him of a big part of his identity.</p><p>To Reginald Hargreeves, the members of the Umbrella Academy were only special because of their abilities. Without it, they were nothing. It did not get past her notice that Reginald chose to pair Sparrow X with the prison that is the Hotel Oblivion, whose only essential difference with an actual prison was its location and staff.</p><p>For a long time and even until now, Vanya had struggled with the effects of internalizing Dad’s nonesense. But she never imagined that Five, natural-born genius Five would also buy into Reginald Hargreeves’ crap.</p><p>Then again, they were born on the same day. They grew up together and were raised by the same set of people. Five might have been smart enough to challenge some of Dad’s teachings. But that didn’t mean he had the capacity or understanding to reject them all.</p><p>And why wouldn’t Five think so highly of his powers? It had helped him get this far. He might have been dead many times over without them.</p><p>Vanya didn’t know how she managed. But she found herself taking hold of Five, both arms wrapped around his waist and her head over one side of his shoulders (a stray thought had her noticing that he was now taller than her. But she put that thought aside), and pulled him away. </p><p>The sleep loss must have taken a terrible toll on him because his response was slow. He intended to turn around and deliver a punch to the face of whoever dared interrupt him. It was a good thing then that Five spent the first few days at the Hotel also teaching her a bit about self-defense.</p><p>Which meant that Five found himself unceremoniously flipped on the floor, Vanya pinning both his hands to the side of his head while straddling him.</p><p>“Vanya?!”</p><p>Five looked like he was coming to his senses. Perhaps she should loosen her grip.</p><p>“Get off me!”</p><p>Or maybe she should hold onto him a little while longer.</p><p>If there’s anything she learned while working as a nanny, it’s to remain calm even as your charge screamed bloody murder at you. Besides, at this point, the lack of sleep had weakened Five. And there was nothing he could do to dislodge her.</p><p>But Five was more stubborn than any eight year old child, neurotypical or not.</p><p>“Get off me! Get off me! Get off me!”</p><p>Vanya seriously contemplated head-butting him in hopes that it would shock him enough to keep him quiet. But she thought better of it. </p><p>So she planted a quick kiss on his nose instead. </p><p>This earned a squeaky: “Stop that!”</p><p>It took Five far too much time to figure out that she wouldn’t stop until he quieted down. She supposed that the sleep loss really got to him. But he eventually gave a sigh of defeat.</p><p>“Ok. I surrender. What do you want?”</p><p>_____________________</p><p>Invading Five’s personal space gave Vanya more than a whiff of his neglect of personal hygiene. So while Vanya wanted a lot of things, she started with dragging him to the bathroom. The ornate glass door that separated the shower stall from the rest of the bathing area ensured Five had privacy. </p><p>Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t even be in the bathroom with him. But she had woken up to Five pummeling the wall with his fists. She didn’t want to leave him there to possibly “choke” the shower head with bloody hands.</p><p>While he bathed, Vanya decided to fill the bathtub with warm water and a few sprinkles of bath salts. As much as she would have wanted to relax and take a dip herself, this was for Five, in hopes that a soak in the tub would somewhat (only somewhat) calm him while she took a look at his hands.</p><p>There was a first aid kit in the bathroom and a pyjama set in the wardrobe. The Hotel had provided whatever they needed to survive a prolonged period of isolation.</p><p>Vanya had to wonder what Reginald really intended to do to them. Clearly he didn’t want them near him. But he didn’t want them dead, at least not immediately.</p><p>Vanya wasn’t naive enough to believe he somehow developed some form of affection for them. </p><p>“Look. I’m ok now. Could you give me some privacy to change?”</p><p>Five’s voice sounded calm now. But Vanya wasn’t willing to buy into that. At least not just yet.</p><p>“Not until you soak in the tub while I have a look at your hands.”</p><p>Vanya didn’t have to turn around to know he was grinding his teeth, maybe even biting his tongue to keep a slightly (but not quite, never with her) nasty retort. Vanya knew he took umbrage at being treated like a child.</p><p>
  <i>Well, he should have thought of that before he started acting like one.</i>
</p><p>“We don’t have all day, Five. I promise I won’t take a peek at your private parts. I just need to make sure your hands are ok.”</p><p>This time, he let out a put upon sigh.</p><p>“I don’t have time for this, Vanya. As you may seem to recall, we’re in a fancy cell. It might have great amenities, but it’s a prison nonetheless.”</p><p>A dozen different retorts came to Vanya’s mind. Ever since Dallas, Five now seemed to bring out a combative side to her. One day, Vanya would ponder if this was simply something the pills pushed down along with her emotions or if it was something entirely new to her.</p><p>In any case, she knew it wouldn’t do any good to be emotional around Five. Not right now. The last time she engaged him in an emotional tug of war was when she was practically begging him to let her take Sissy and Harlan with them. They almost came to blows. Though not the physical type, it would have destroyed everything in the vicinity had they both not decided to back down. Vanya learned quickly that an emotional appeal wouldn’t sway Five when he had already determined a course of action.</p><p>So she mustered all the patience left in her.</p><p>“Is there another apocalypse I don’t know about?”</p><p>“Wha-?”</p><p>Vanya would have given everything to turn around just to see a befuddled look on his face. But she didn’t want to make a bad situation worse. Five was low on patience and had a bit of a complex in regards to being back in his adolescent body. She didn’t want to know how he would react should she decide to see him in his birthday suit.</p><p>And birthday suit he would currently wear considering she purposely took the towels away from his immediate reach. </p><p>“There isn’t, right? So why are you acting as if the world is ending again? Five, you’re not doing yourself or anyone else any good this way. I know, you just got out of the worst eighteen days of your life. And it’s going to take time to get used to. But there’s no more apocalypse to stop. Please. Please. Please, start taking care of yourself more.”</p><p>Vanya hadn’t realized how much she’d kept in these past few days. Until now, that is, after hearing that hitch in her own voice.  And seeing the white-knuckled grip she had on the tub’s marble rim. For all the years she had spent away from Luther and Diego’s company, they were very forthcoming with information back in Elliot’s place in 1963.  </p><p>Perhaps because they didn’t share much interest and because of how quickly her conversation with the Umbrella Academy’s Numbers One and Two descended into silence, they felt the need to entertain her by filling it in with reminiscences of what had happened before she ended the world in 2019. How the only time Five had ever gotten sleep was when he was drunk out of his mind or suffering from a shrapnel wound.</p><p>Come to think of it, Vanya didn’t think Five slept much on the ten days he spent in Dallas either. It shouldn’t be possible for anyone to keep on going without proper sleep. At least not for that long. </p><p>Sure he got some sleep on their first few nights at the Hotel. But he always rose earlier and slept later than Vanya. So who knows if he really slept at all. And he had been drinking more black coffee than usual.</p><p>“Fine.”</p><p>Apparently Five saw the futility in arguing with Vanya. She couldn’t help but smile as she closed her eyes and covered them with her hands.</p><p>She didn’t move until his fingers touched hers. And she began to administer first-aid, just like old times back when he would return from a particularly grueling training session.</p><p>Thankfully, there were no broken bones. Miraculously, Five only suffered bruises and scrapes. Physically, he was fine.</p><p>“I don’t know how to get us out of here, Vanya.”</p><p>The note in his voice gave her pause, made her look him in the eyes to see Five resembling all the vulnerability of the adolescent boy he once had been and definitely was not now. </p><p>But she knew it was more than the feeling of utter powerlessness that weighed on him. Five lived most of his life to stop the apocalypse. He had never truly prepared for the possibility that he would actually succeed. And right now, he wasn’t only at a loss on how to get out of Hotel Oblivion. </p><p>“That’s just because you’re sleep deprived, Five. I promise you that after a good night’s sleep, something will come to you.”</p><p>It didn’t escape Vanya’s notice that she was caressing his fingers. Or that he did nothing to discourage it.</p><p>“What if I don’t?  What if we’re stuck here until we die?”</p><p>
  <i>What if we’re all only just as good as our powers? What if Reginald Hargreeves was right and we’re truly nothing without it?</i>
</p><p>“You know,  when I asked you and the others to come with me to Sissy’s farm, I didn’t do it because I needed you or Allison or Klaus to do anything. I knew I was the only one who could take my powers back from Harlan. But I was scared. I mean, theoretically, I should be able to help Harlan. But what if something went wrong? What if I messed up? Those few seconds alone in that car was probably the most scared I was in my life. A boy’s life was hanging in the balance but all I could think about was all the ways things could go wrong. But then you guys decided to come with me. And that made all the difference. I felt more powerful in that one moment than I ever did, even more than that time at the Icarus. And that’s thanks to you guys. I can’t give you studies or evidence to prove it. But I believe it. As long as we’re together, we can do anything, even if it means getting out of here without the use of our powers.”</p><p>She fully expected Five to scoff at her cheesy lines. But she felt it needed to be said. And all Vanya had to offer at the moment was her sincerity.</p><p>“Do you really mean that, Vanya?”</p><p>There was no sarcasm in his tone. Just simple curiosity. And perhaps, a bit of hope.</p><p>“Of course I do. Have you heard of Yoshie Shiratori? He managed to escape four different Japanese prisons. Sure, it took him time. The guards knew about his history of prison breaks and they did everything they could to make sure he stayed put. But he found a way.  We will find a way, Five.  I know it. You’re a genius! I’m sure you’ll think of something. Luther knows how to assemble and operate rockets, if it turns out we’re on another planet. Diego knows his way around prisons, and so does Klaus for that matter. And Allison?  She can make people do what she wants even without her powers.”</p><p>A thoughtful look crossed Five’s face. </p><p>“Escaping the Hotel without our powers? I hadn’t considered that before. But I’ll have to look into it.”</p><p>Not tonight, if Vanya could help it. Five needed sleep.</p><p>She didn’t trust him to go directly to bed after he dried himself and put on his pyjamas. Vanya certainly wouldn’t put it past him to use the bathroom tiles as a makeshift whiteboard for whatever plans had started brewing in his mind.</p><p>So she turned around as he dressed himself, making sure that she was still in the bathroom in case Five decided to lock her out and started new schemes for a prison break.</p><p>Needless to say, it took further wrangling to get Five to sit still as she blow dried his hair. Though he stopped complaining almost as soon as she started. Vanya had a feeling that he actually enjoyed it. But she kept that to herself.</p><p>“I never got around to thanking you, Five,” she said as she turned the hair dryer off.</p><p>“For what?”</p><p>“For finding me in that cornfield. I had amnesia for a month. Sissy’s husband Carl had put up a lot of missing person’s ads but no one was answering them. I was starting to think no one was looking for me. And then the Swedes came and almost killed me. I was in that field for hours thinking that I was going to die without even remembering who I was.”</p><p>“It’s nothing.”</p><p>“Five-“</p><p>In the next moment, she realized he had gotten up from his seat and they were looking eye to eye. Except Vanya had to slightly crane her neck upwards. This was the second time she noticed how Five must have grown a little taller.</p><p>“Listen, I would have looked for you even if there wasn’t a doomsday hanging over our heads. Don’t sell yourself short. You’re a member of the Umbrella Academy. If you went missing, I would do everything in my power to find you. I’m sorry for the past few days. I know I’ve been the worst roommate. But I want you to know that I wouldn’t have survived if it wasn’t for you. When I told you that I liked your book, I wasn’t just saying that to make you feel better. More than anything, knowing that there was someone... a couple of someones out there wanting me back got me through the apocalypse and the Commission. More than you’ll ever know.”</p><p>_______________</p><p>In the end, they had to share Vanya’s bed. Five destroyed his days ago. But given the bed’s size and their collective frames, there was plenty of room for the both of them.</p><p>“Vanya, what are you doing?”</p><p>
  <i>Oh</i>
</p><p>She had been using her palm to draw soothing circles around his chest. Harlan liked the motion as he was being sent to sleep. And Vanya supposed habit had kicked in.</p><p>“Do you want me to stop?”</p><p>“...No.”</p><p>Five didn’t say anything after that. And Vanya waited until she was sure he had fallen asleep before she reluctantly took her hand away.</p><p>Diego had said Five looked adorable in his sleep. And Vanya agreed.</p><p>So she gave him one last peck on the cheek before entering slumber herself.</p>
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